Skybird has upset Australia's best young sprinters to win the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington while Fangirl has relegated her Cox Plate-winning stablemate Via Sistina into the minor placings in the Apollo Stakes at Randwick.

Skybird
Skybird has stunned an elite field of weight-for-age sprinters in the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington. (Photo: Bronwen Healy - The Image Is Everything)

Skybird flies away with Lightning

Skybird, described by her trainer as a high-maintenance racehorse, has delivered a lesson to Australia’s next generation of sprinters with a stunning win in the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington.

Ignored by most except those closest to her, Skybird unleashed a dazzling sprint from the 200m that put paid to her more-fancied rivals in an instant.

Once jockey John Allen navigated Skybird into the clear from last, the Group 1 race was in her keeping.

Leading in a sweep of the placings for the only three mares in the race, Skybird ($26) defeated Stretan Angel ($21) by a length with Benedetta ($8.50) 1-3/4 lengths away in third.

Left to pick up the pieces were the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland, the $2.45 favourite who finished fourth and fellow three-year-olds Traffic Warden (fifth) and Growing Empire (seventh).

Not that their disappointments mattered to Skybird’s trainer Mitch Freedman who celebrated his second Group 1 win.

“Everyone wanted to say she wasn't fast enough … she is not this, not that,” Freedman told the Seven Network.

“She is a damn good racehorse, and she has continued to mature.”

Skybird was stretched out in distance during the early part of a career that had promised a lot without getting the right results.

However, she announced her arrival with a Cox Plate day win in 2023 as a three-year-old beating her own age and sex at Group 2 level over 1600m

But Freedman, who said the four-year-old daughter of Exosphere could be her own worst enemy around the stable, had never doubted her short-course prowess.

“The turn of foot she showed at Horsham (in a barrier trial ) and at home on Tuesday was phenomenal, and we couldn't wait to get here,” he said.

“But she is hard work at home.

“The stable staff battle away with her at times … she gets her muscles looked at every week and gets A1 care along with the rest of them.”

Fangirl upstages stablemate Via Sistina in Apollo

Longevity at the top of racing’s weight-for-age ranks continues to reap rich rewards for one of the unheralded mainstays of the all-conquering Chris Waller stable.

Fangirl, a rising seven-year-old mare, upstaged her Cox Plate-winning stablemate Via Sistina to claim back-to-back wins in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes at Randwick.

And while the Apollo is programmed as a sneak preview of what is to come in the serious part of the autumn, assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said it should not diminish Fangirl’s standing among Australia’s best racehorses.

"Fangirl has been a champion for about three years,” he told the Seven Network.

“Because she just fluffs around doing her own thing early and flies home, people take her for granted to a degree, but she is awesome.”

Fangirl
Fangirl races clear to win the Group 2 Apollo Stakes for the second time. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Jockey Jason Collett ensured Fangirl ($3.70) had a head start on her main rivals with the $2.10 favourite Via Sistina and Ceolwulf ($4.80) settling rearward in the eight-horse field.

She did the rest, beating another stablemate Lindermann ($17) by a length to complete a quinella for the Ingham family.

Via Sistina finished third in a trifecta for Waller-trained runners.

“Because she won so well first-up over 1400 (metres) last prep, I think we all just kidded ourselves into thinking she is capable of that,” Duckworth said of Via Sistina.

“And yes, (with an) even run she might well have won again today.

"But her grand final is a 2000-metre race (the Queen Elizabeth Stakes), whereas Fangirl is actually a miler."

Fangirl is a homebred for the Ingham family as a daughter of Sebring from the stakes-winning Encosta de Lago mare Little Surfer Girl.

Talindert dead-heaters fight it out in stewards' room

Nothing could separate Shining Smile and Tentyris in the Talindert Stakes and a dead-heat result stayed that way despite a protest hearing.

Shining Smile and Tentyris shared honours in the Listed race for two-year-olds at Flemington but jockey Dan Stackhouse prolonged correct weight when he lodged an objection for interference.

Stackhouse claimed Tentyris, ridden by Mark Zahra, made contact with his mount Shining Smile and it was enough to cost him an outright victory.

In dismissing the protest, chief steward Rob Montgomery said: "We can't be satisfied that any brush had a bearing on the result of the race." 

A Spirit Of Boom colt who races out of the Lindsay Park Racing stable, Shining Smile is unbeaten in two starts this campaign with three wins from five outings overall.

Godolphin youngster Tentyris improved sharply on his unplaced run in the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at his first start.

“He just got it wrong, which colts can do on debut,” co-trainer Sam Freedman said of the Street Boss youngster.

Kehoe dares to dream of Slipper glory

Trainer Allan Kehoe revealed Golden Slipper ambitions for Shaggy after the unbeaten two-year-old disposed of his Pierro Plate rivals with a statement win at Randwick.

Thrown into the deep end after wins at Coffs Harbour and the Sunshine Coast, Shaggy made all the running to beat Comedy and Skyhooks in an 1100m race won 12 months ago by Group 1 star Switzerland.

A son of first-season sire Sandbar, who stood for $8800 at Kooringal Stud in southern NSW last breeding season, Shaggy has been the target of Hong Kong and Australian offers.

But as Kooringal’s Angus Lamont told The Straight this week, Shaggy isn’t for sale because he wants the speed machine to stay in Australia to lift the profile of Sandbar, a son of champion sire Snitzel.

Shaggy isn’t nominated for the $5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill March 22 and a late entry will have to paid.

“We all dream of winning the Golden Slipper, so we’ll head that way at the moment,” Kehoe said.

“We’ll head to the Todman (Stakes) and then we’ll go from there.”

Left in Shaggy’s wake was the favourite Pallaton, a Randwick winner in December who was on the second line of Slipper markets before finishing fourth.

Bar raised - Hong Kong rebuff a pointer to Kooringal’s expectations for first-season sire
Angus Lamont is putting his faith in unbeaten two-year-old Shaggy continuing to be a poster boy for Kooringal Stud sire Sandbar.
The StraightWarwick Barr

Wrote To Arataki makes amends in Tressady

Runner-up two years ago, Wrote To Arataki has gone one better to break a winless drought of more than 400 days in taking out the Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes at Flemington.

Trained by Matt Williams and given a positive ride from Dean Yendall, Wrote To Arataki sat forward before drawing clear to beat Molly Bloom and Miraval Lass.

A daughter of Highview Stud resident Wrote, Wrote To Arataki finished second to Annavisto in the 2023 edition.

Magical return for Yulong mare in Expressway

Magic Time has locked in the first of three potential autumn Group 1 assignments with a heart-stopping first-up win in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes at Randwick.

Precariously placed between horses, Magic Time found clear air at the 100m and overhauled Iowna Merc to post her sixth stakes win and her first since a private sale to Yulong towards the end of last year's spring carnival.

A two-time Group 1-winning daughter of Yarraman Park sire Hellbent, Magic Time will be directed towards the Canterbury Stakes with the George Ryder Stakes and All Aged Stakes also among trainer Grahame Begg's plans.

"We know that over the 1400 metres, that probably suits her even more so (especially) if we get a bit more juice into the ground, she's going to be even better," Begg said.

Begg trained an interstate double when Cilacap, a Written Tycoon filly that is raced in part under the banner of the late Alan Green's Echo Beach Bloodstock, won the Listed Desirable Stakes at Flemington.

Rise At Dawn up and about for All-Star Mile

Lindsay Park has found an in-form All-Star stable support act for weight-for-age warrior Mr Brightside.

Rise At Dawn earned an automatic entry into the $2.5 million race on March 8 with a resuming win in the Listed Elms Handicap at Flemington.

By Cambridge Stud resident Almanzor, Rise At Dawn counts long-time Lindsay Park employee Bruno Rouge-Serret as one of his many owners.

"Bruno has been around for a long time. Well before me," co-trainer Ben Hayes said.

"He is a very valued member (of the team) and it is great to have great results for your staff and connections."

Mr Brightside is a warm favourite in pre-post betting to claim his second All-Star Mile.

Stakes breakthrough for Godolphin mare

Inhibitions executed a long-term piece of programming for Godolphin trainer James Cummings with a breakthrough black-type win in the Group 3 Triscay Stakes at Randwick.

"We had looked at this race from a long way out for Inhibitions. It is a plan well pulled off," Cummings said.

"She is now a stakes winner. A valuable filly by Zoustar was purchased at the sales, and she will go on to be part of our broodmare band in the future."

Sepals storms into Australian Guineas contention

Trainer Cliff Brown has unearthed a bona fide Australian Guineas prospect with Sepals bringing up a hattrick of wins in a key lead-up race at Flemington.

Sepals, who only cleared maiden ranks five weeks ago, unwound an impressive sprint for jockey Blake Shinn to claim the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes.

Eight horses have completed the CS Hayes-Australian Guineas with Alligator Blood the latest in 2020.

Sepals is a son of Coolmore shuttler Calyx and cost Brown $80,000 at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

He now occupies the second line of betting for the $1 million Australian Guineas on March 1.

Lady Shenandoah all class in Light Fingers

Lady Shenandoah picked up from where she left off in the spring with a regulation win in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes.

Spelled after her success at Group 1 level in the Flight Stakes at Randwick in October, Lady Shenandoah got the better of last year's Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot.

“Lady Of Camelot is no slouch to try and run past in the concluding stages, she seems to have done it with a bit in hand," assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said.

Duckworth said the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on March 2 was a logical autumn progression the Snitzel filly.

shortsNews